The Little Shop of Olive Oils

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The Little Shop of Olive Oils opened for business in Franklin one year ago on March 15, 2017.

Our sincerest gratitude goes to this community of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Lovers and we thank you for your support during our first year! We’ve met so many people and built so many wonderful relationships. We look forward to making many more!

Over the past year we’ve learned a lot, seriously a lot…but here are some favorite Points:

The first celebration of Patrick’s life was an annual religious holiday held on March 17, the day it is believed that he died. The celebrations were feast days in honor of Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century.

Who was St. Patrick

Patrick was believed to have born in Roman Britain (Scotland), the son of a wealthy family. His name was Maewyn Succat. He was kidnapped when he was 16 and taken to Ireland as a slave. He escaped after, he said, God told him to run from his captors to the shore, where a boat would be waiting for him to take him back to Scotland. He fled, the boat was there and he headed home, but he didn’t stay.

He returned to Ireland as a priest using the name Patrick. He worked there for the rest of his life to convert the Irish, who, at the time, practiced Celtic polytheism (Celtic paganism).

While he was never officially canonized, his followers regarded him as a “saint in heaven,” thus he received a feast day from the Roman Catholic Church and the title of “saint.”

How is it celebrated?

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in various parts of the world. Until the 1970s, St. Patrick’s Day was a religious celebration in Ireland, and the pubs in the country were closed.

Laws were passed then to open up the pubs for celebrations on March 17, and soon after, the country’s leaders decided to market the holiday, highlighting Irish culture for tourism purposes.

The observance of St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, alone, has grown to a massive multiday celebration where around 1 million people take part.

In the United States, millions celebrate the holiday, whether they are of Irish descent or not. Two of the largest celebrations are in New York -- which hosts a five-hour parade -- and Chicago -- where city officials dye the river green.

Many people wear something green on that day, signifying a link to the color most associated with Ireland. Others lift a pint (or two) of beer at a pub or try corned beef and cabbage or Irish stew.

About that tradition of celebrating the day by eating corned beef and cabbage -- there’s nothing more Irish than that, right?

About that tradition, well, we need to talk. Truth be told, corned beef and cabbage is about as Irish as a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake.

Back in the day, people in Ireland would have celebrated the feast day with a meal of Irish stew and soda bread, or maybe a meal of pork and potatoes, which was inexpensive.

What has become a tradition of eating corned beef and cabbage to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day likely grew out of the fact that those foods were less expensive for immigrants who came to America. They substituted beef for pork and cabbage for potatoes.

OK, at least the snake story is true, right?

Sorry, but that’s a bit of blarney, too. There were no snakes in Ireland, so Patrick didn’t really have anything to drive out of the country, with the exception of the druids.

Some think the story that Patrick drove the snakes into the sea was really an allegory for him driving the pagan practices out of the country to make room for Christianity. Others say it just makes for a good bit of gab.

Say what?

Let’s say you want to impress your friends and throw out a few Gaelic phrases on Friday.

You will probably want to start with “Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit!” That means “Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!”

It’s pronounced: lah leh PAH-drig SUN-uh gwitch.

Native Irish speakers would shorten it to “Lá ‘le Pádraig,” a more casual way of offering good wishes on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s pronounced: lah leh PAH-drig.

Since the late 1980s, it is fashionable to call all flavored mayonnaises "aioli", with flavorings such as saffron or chili. However, purists insist "flavored mayonnaise can contain garlic, but true aioli contains no seasoning but garlic"

--- David Tanis, A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes, ISBN1579653464, 2008, p. 102

and many people have asked "which Extra Virgin Olive Oil should I use?"

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What's New

The Little Shop of Olive Oils opened for business in Franklin one year ago on March 15, 2017.

Our sincerest gratitude goes to this community of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Lovers and we thank you for your support during our first year! We’ve met so many people and built so many wonderful relationships. We look forward to making many more!

Over the past year we’ve learned a lot, seriously a lot…but here are some favorite Points:

We figured out how to ship with our online orders (honestly this was the hardest)

We also want to thank our family and friends for their help…we could not have done it without you!

--- Mike & Tracey

Visit Us

5 Main StreetFranklin, MA 02038

(508) 346-3381

Monday - Saturday10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Sunday

11:00 am - 4:00 pm

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Visit Us

5 Main StreetFranklin, MA 02038

(508) 346-3381

Monday - Saturday

10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Sunday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Nutritional Information

All Oils and Balsamic vinegars supplied by Veronica Foods Company are GLUTEN FREE products and are produced and packaged in gluten free facilities (i.e., no products are produced or packaged in our facility which could cause gluten contamination).